The Diamond Noose
by Strix Prudens
Summary: AU! No pairings! Dean Smith is a normal guy living beside his best friend, Sam Wesson, and the local Boo Radley, Castiel Novak. Life is going just how he likes, until he starts seeing figures in his neighbor's window. When he discovers that the thing in the house isn't just an illusion, Dean must team up with his two neighbors to hunt it down before things go from bad to worse.


**Hello~! And welcome to my first Supernatural fanfiction!**

 **I just have to point out really quickly, there is one "pairing" in here, but don't worry. I'll do something about it. What I meant is that there is no pairings in between the three main characters, Dean, Sam, and Cas. That means no Destiel (sorry, guys!), no Wincest, and no Sastiel (or Samstiel, whichever you prefer).**

 **Also~! About this chapter. This chapter kind of a...part 1 I guess you could call it? The next chapter is the second part of this one. But don't worry, it's not like it's an ENORMOUS cliffhanger off of this one. (After all, I'm saving the cliffhanger for the next chapter!) I just didn't expect how long it was going to be, so...it's kind of the same chapter, but it's not like you're missing anything too important because if it's not up yet when you read this.**

 **So, yeah! Please comment if you like it, it gives me inspiration, and... enjoy! I hope you like it! :)**

* * *

Dean Smith was your average, everyday man. He lived in a nice house, which he had earned through his well-paying job as the owner of a car dealership. His best friend, Sam Wesson, resided in the charming house beside him. Dean had incredible relationships with every single person in his quiet neighborhood, each one he was proud to call his friend. However, there was one man that lived nearby him that he barely knew.

Across the street and two houses down was a man that went by the name of Castiel Novak. Dean knew absolutely nothing about this man other than that: his name. Castiel was a suspicious character. Once a month, Dean would invite everyone in the neighborhood over to his house for a relaxing barbecue, and every time he would ask him to come over but every time the man would decline and retreat back into the safety of his own home.

Castiel was like this to everyone in the neighborhood, which, obviously, didn't make him very popular. There were rumors that people would create about him and spread all throughout the neighborhood. People said that he was probably some murderer that had ran away from the law and that he was secretly hiding either ten dead bodies in his basement or that he was currently torturing a poor, innocent man. Dean pushed away the rumors. He didn't want to suspect anything about him. After all, there was absolutely no way that someone like him could be a frightening person. Dean had only once had at least some sort of interaction with him.

It had been about one week ago. Dean had gone out to get the mail from his mailbox when he looked across the street to see Castiel watering his rosebushes. He was probably having a good day because that was a rare thing to see: a wild Castiel out in the open in his natural habitat. Surprised to see him outside, Dean stared out at him for a short while before Castiel looked up to see him standing there. It obviously took him off guard since he jumped a bit and accidentally got water all over his right slipper.

"Good morning!" Dean had called out to him with a bright smile on.

Castiel looked back up at him with wide eyes. After a minute or two, Dean could hear the man clear his throat and call back quietly, "Good morning to you, too!"

That was it. After that short exchange of words, Dean returned back into his house to enjoy the rest of his Saturday. That was all that he needed. He didn't need for the two of them to get together and suddenly discuss the meaning of life. Dean was completely fine with just saying 'hello' to his neighbor. After all, it was better than nothing at all. Also, he knew that anything more would have made Castiel uncomfortable.

The only person that had talked to Castiel more than that was a young woman named Anna. Anna lived in the house to the left of Castiel's. Dean had seen them talk with one another before, even smiling with each other. Truthfully, seeing this had always made Dean a bit agitated, probably because he had developed a small crush on Anna.

From the moment that she had moved in, Dean had been very attracted to her. Her hair shone a gorgeous scarlet color, her skin was a soft pale, and her eyes were a beautiful shade of green. Not only was she attractive, her personality was radiant. Anna was kind, gentle, outgoing, and very understanding, which also was probably the reason why she and Castiel got along so well.

Dean could remember when Castiel had moved in. He had been talking to her about how odd it was that their new neighbor had never talked or interacted with anyone before. That was when he had dared her to go over and speak to him. She did it immediately, but she was also immediately accepted by him. Dean could still feel the feeling of how his heart sank when Castiel had instantly invited her into his household. Dean was conflicted of what to think of the man. Anna would constantly tell him about how kind his neighbor was, but, then again, Dean couldn't help wondering when Castiel would beat him to making a move on the young woman.

Dean would often discuss this with his best friend, Sam Wesson. However, he wasn't too helpful to vent with because Sam would always reply, "You really shouldn't worry about this, Dean. It's probably nothing." Today, as they spoke about the topic for the hundredth time, that was his answer once again.

"Thanks. That makes me feel a thousand times better!" Dean retorted.

"Look. All I'm saying is that it's nothing that you should think about. I doubt that Anna is even looking for a guy like that. You worry too much, Dean," Sam told him gently.

Dean stopped pacing back and forth across his kitchen and turned around to glare at Sam, whom was sitting in the living room and staring at him over the back of the brown couch that he sat on. "Says the man that is constantly whining at me about your taxes! Everyone has bills, Sam! Calm down already!"

"Hey! I don't whine!" Sam defended in a high-pitched voice, "And you can't say anything until you see them, okay?"

"You see what I'm talking about!" Dean snapped.

Sam shook his head and looked away. After a few moments, Sam changed the subject, "You know, I've been thinking about asking Jess to marry me."

Dean's eyes flew open wide as he shot his head over to look at him. "Seriously?!"

"You heard me!" Sam replied. "I just… I think that she's the one, you know?" He turned his head down to stare at his fidgeting hands.

"You two just moved in with each other, though!" Dean said, walking into the living room and taking a spot on the lounge chair beside the couch. "How long ago was it now that you've been together, Sam?"

Sam hesitated. "Well, a year, but—"

"Exactly! Couples don't get married until they've been together for at least three years!" Dean told him firmly.

Sam frowned and turned back to his friend. "You don't know that!"

"I know what's right!" Dean insisted. "You two have been living together for only a month now! You don't know anything about what could happen!"

"Well, it's just that…" Sam tried to find the words. "The way things are right now, I really think that I could…I could spend my whole life like this! She's really great and…she makes me feel complete, you know?"

"Well, of course you think that, man! You're in love with her!" Dean told him.

"And isn't that enough?" Sam said.

"No! No, it's not enough!" Dean barked. "Marriage is where all lives end, man! You can't just throw it away like that!"

"Getting married isn't throwing your life away! It's completing it!"

"No! That's having kids!"

"What do you know, anyway, huh? Have you ever gotten married? No! You haven't! You've never even had one successful girlfriend and when you finally find a girl you really like you can barely even ask her out to dinner as a friend or even more!" Sam snapped at his friend.

"You don't know me!"

"I'm your best friend, Dean! I know everything about you! You've even told me things that I wish that you never had! You've told me so much that, I swear to God, have made me scarred for life!" Dean's long-haired friend barked.

"I was drunk, okay! I'm sorry!"

"That doesn't change anything! You still told it to me! No one says that, or does that! Why the hell would you—"

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!" Dean interrupted. "Marry your girlfriend, hell if I care!" The two of them pouted and turned away from each other. After a while, Dean finally muttered, "Can I be your best man?"

A small chuckle bubbled out of Sam's throat as his mouth spread back in a cheerful smile. "Only if you ask Anna out. I'm not going to listen to you complain to me about how Castiel is going to steal your girl the entire time."

"I wouldn't be talking about it the whole time!" Dean defended.

"Yeah, you would!" Sam chuckled.

"Yeah, I would…" he admitted quickly. With that the two burst out laughing at their silly antics. Dean's life may be hard, but it was going exactly the way he wanted it to. He loved his job, Sam's life could hardly get any better, and he was surrounded by people that he loved. Every morning, he would jump out of bed with a wide grin stretched across his face, ready to take on the day, and every night he would go to bed ready to experience the next morning.

Two days later, Dean was ready to prepare his monthly barbecue. He had already asked almost everyone on his block, and, yet again, they all agreed with happy smiles. There was only two more people that he had to ask: Anna, whom would of course say 'yes' yet again, and, this time, he had decided to ask Castiel as well.

Dean stood in front of Castiel's cozy, little house. It was a charming place just like all of the rest. Just like all the others, the house whispered old words of decades past back when it was new and popular. Now, it was small and quiet. It was a large house with a pointed roof with upstairs windows that jut out of the side of it. The exterior wall that surrounded the house was covered in wide, gray rocks almost like cobblestone. The door was dark brown with windows on either side with the shades always drawn across them. The driveway stretched across the right side of the house and on the other side of the front was a beautiful lawn with rosebushes pressed up against the wall under the windows. All of the houses looked very similar to this and were all separated from each other by a tall, lush green hedge. This and Anna's house were the two oldest houses in this area next to the forest.

Dean sighed. Just as he was about to walk onto the driveway, he changed his mind and decided to go to his house last. Turning around, Dean briskly walked around the other hedge and strode up to the beautiful, sleek, white door of Anna's house. The man rang the doorbell of Anna's house.

Almost as soon as he knocked, the door flew open. Dean smiled widely at the face in front of him. "Dean!" Anna greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, Anna!" Dean said with a warm smile. "I'm having another barbecue again this month. You interested?"

"Oh, Dean! Do you really to ask?" she chuckled. "I'd come even if you didn't invite me!"

Dean smiled back at her cheerfully. "Awesome!" There was an awkward silence that swept past the both of them. The one thing that Dean wanted to do was rush out of this uncomfortable situation and dive right back into finishing the season of that show that he had been watching. However, he knew that he had something that he needed to do, and being a coward about this wasn't going to solve anything.

"So… how are you doing?" Dean asked coolly.

"Oh! I'm good!" Anna replied. "You?"

"Good, good!"

"That's nice." She paused for a while before exclaiming with a gasp, "Oh! That's right! I never told you! I found this weird thing in my basement!"

Dean stopped. For some reason, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when she told him that. He looked over his shoulder for some reason, quickly asking himself why he would want to do such a thing. He quickly shooed the paranoid thoughts away and turned back to the young woman and responded to her gently, "And what exactly do you mean by _weird thing_ , Anna?"

"I don't know _exactly_ what it is, but it's some necklace with a really pretty diamond on the end," Anna told him with an expression of excitement and interest on her face.

"A necklace…? How'd you find that in your basement?" Dean asked.

"It was in a box down there. It was really old, too! I'm not completely sure how old, but it was old enough to where I had to get a crowbar to open that little box! If I were to give it an age, I'd have to judge that it's almost as old as this house is!" she exclaimed. "And that's pretty old, isn't it? These houses were made sometime in the late 1800's, weren't they?"

"Yeah! That is pretty old." Dean nodded. "Are you going to take it to a historian? I bet something like that would cost quite a bit!"

"Yeah… I bet it would," she said. "But I'm not looking to selling it."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. It's very beautiful!" Anna told him. "Wanna see it?"

"No, not now," Dean said. "Actually, I came here to ask you—" Suddenly, Dean stopped at the smell of something burning. "Is that…? What is that smell? Do you smell that, Anna? Smells like something's burning…"

"Oh! Shit!" Anna quickly looked around the corner with a panicked expression. "I think that's my lunch! Sorry, Dean! I've gotta go! Can't wait to see you at the barbecue! Bye!"

Before Dean could even say anything back, the white, front doors slammed shut in his face. "Wait! I…!" He stopped. It was no use. Dean shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked off of the driveway. Another failure. Maybe he'd have more success next time? But…that's what he always told himself.

Dean looked up at the large house in front of him. Next was to go up and knock on the front door of the house that belonged to the local, frightening Boo Radley. He let out an exasperated sigh and strode up to his house, not even minding to avoid treading straight over the lush green lawn. Dean rang the doorbell beside the handsome, burgundy-colored door.

"Hello?" Dean called. There was no answer. "Hello…?" he called out again more hesitantly this time. There was no answer. "Hello!" Dean repeated louder.

Finally, the door slowly clicked open. There, standing in the doorway, was Castiel. He had dark hair and a light stubble. His jaw was so chiseled Dean swore it could cut stone. Large, deep wrinkles lay imprinted under his blue eyes, which he doubted were formed from age. The man wore a wrinkled, white dress shirt, black pants, and a twisted, blue tie. He had most likely just come back from work, whatever that may be.

"I heard you the first time," he muttered in a gruff tone. Dean was oblivious on whether Castiel was frustrated with him or that was just how he sounded.

"Oh… Sorry…" Dean apologized.

Castiel blinked drowsily. An extremely awkward silence passed between the two of them; it was even more awkward than the one that he had just had with Anna. Finally, Castiel interrupted the quiet, " _Well?_ Do you have something that you would care to tell me or are you merely the worst prankster I have ever seen? You do realize that once you ring the doorbell the next step is to hide in the bushes or something such as that, don't you?"

"W-what?" Dean blinked. "No! No! I'm not here to prank you! I wanted to ask you a question." There was yet again another silence. Finally, Dean said, "You know, I'm kind of looking for you to respond! Like, ' _no, get off my lawn!_ ' or ' _yeah, go ahead!'_ So it's kind of awkward for you to just stare at me like I'm some kind of moron!"

"I presumed that you were going to ask your question. Is that a silly presumption?" Castiel responded, "It is not necessary to play 'Twenty Questions' with the neighbor whom I have never once talked to, do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah! I get it!" Dean growled. "I was just wondering if you would like to come to the barbecue I'm hosting in two days!"

"No."

Dean stopped. "Oh, so it's just 'no'?"

"Would you fancy me say more?"

"Well, I don't know… Why do you not want to come?" Dean asked him, a bit offended that he said 'no'.

"I never said that I did not want to join you. I merely said 'no'," Castiel told him, "I will… not be able to come."

Dean paused. He had never seen Castiel leave his house unless he was going to work, which he could tell was where he was going because of the fact that he was wearing a professional suit when he got in his car. Dean doubted that such a quiet loner would have any friends, so what could a man like him possibly have to do?

"Why won't you be able to come?" Dean asked him. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm…" Castiel hesitated. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean noticed the grip that Castiel was holding on the door tighten. The silence turned out to be longer than Dean had been expecting it to be.

"You okay there, pal?" Dean finally spoke up.

"Yes, I'm quite alright," Castiel responded. "The truth is that I don't exactly have a valid argument for not attending your barbecue."

"It's okay," Dean said gently, "I totally understand if you don't want to come."

"No! It's not that!" his neighbor insisted. "It's not that I wouldn't like to come! I really would enjoy it very much to join you and your friends at your gathering. It's just… I don't know… I just…can't, I suppose." There was another silence that swept through the two of them again, but this time, it, strangely, wasn't as awkward.

Dean smiled at him with a gaze of understanding. He reached out and placed a comforting hand on Castiel's shoulder. "It's okay, buddy. I get it. You don't have to pressure yourself." His spirits were lifted a bit when he saw his neighbor smile warmly at him.

"Thank you, neighbor," Castiel replied gently, his voice a bit softer than it had been when he had first opened the door, whether that was because either his voice or the atmosphere that had changed Dean wasn't sure. Now, staring into the kind eyes of the shy man, he no longer looked as frightening as Dean had first thought.

"Dean," he said, "It's Dean Smith."

Castiel put out his hand. "Castiel Novak."

With a bright grin, Dean gripped onto his palm and shook it firmly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Indeed," the shy man responded.

"You know," Dean tried once more, "if you're scared about being alone there, you don't have to be. I ain't gonna let anybody be left in the corner at my barbecue! Besides, you know Anna, right? She'll be there!"

The atmosphere once again switched gears rapidly. The gaze that Castiel suddenly shot Dean sent chills down his spine. Weren't they friends? If they were, then why was he suddenly glaring at him as if he had just said the most taboo word in the English language, or any language. However, even that analogy didn't quite explain it right. His eyes emitted an eerie intensity, one that hissed in Dean's ear to turn back and run far, far away.

"No. I can't go," Castiel growled. Dean swore that he could sense the vibration that rang through Castiel's throat. It swept across the ground, flipping pebbles over onto their back and leaving the grass on the lawn pressed up against the dirt.

"O-okay!" Dean stuttered. He had meant to say it stronger, but it felt as though Castiel's powerful voice may have damaged his own voice box. "Well, it was nice to meet you, but I've gotta go—"

The moment that Dean had turned around to walk back to his house, he could feel a hand shoot out and take a strong grip on his forearm. Dean stopped. He slowly turned back around to face his neighbor once again. However, this time, when he looked back at him, Castiel stared at him with an expression of true fear and paranoia.

"Have you noticed anything _weird_?" Castiel hissed.

"W-weird…?" Dean repeated, feeling beads of sweat form on his temple.

"Yes. Weird."

"It depends on what you mean by 'weird'," Dean said, "If you're talking about if I've seen strange lights in the sky, then no. But if you're talking about if I've seen some weirdo grabbing people's arms and whispering creepy things in their ears, then yeah. Yeah, I have."

Castiel's nose wrinkled up in annoyed confusion, taken aback by statement. "No! That's not what I meant!" His expression darkened once more. "I am referring to Anna. Something is wrong, Dean."

Dean glared at him intensely. "Excuse me? What the hell are you trying to say?" Dean pulled his arm away from his neighbor's grip.

"I'm not… No, I'm not trying to say anything specific," Castiel reassured him. "I'm just…" He hesitated. "It lives in Anna's house, and… I suppose that I was wondering if you had seen it."

Dean paused. "Seen what?"

"It," Castiel breathed, "The thing that stands in the windows and speaks the day away but utters no sound. It wears a ragged dress and a deep stare. It stares at me all day long, Dean, it does. My work desk sits in front of the window, and when the curtains are pulled back, I can see her staring at me. Sometimes, I doubt that it's trying to speak to me, but I am very good at seeing the words through its silence. I heard—"

"Stop." Castiel immediately shut his mouth. Dean continued, "What the hell are you talking about! I'm sorry, but…you're crazy!"

"No! I'm not insane, Dean," Castiel said quickly, "It came out of the box! It's the necklace, Dean. I'm not insane, I promise you! You have to listen to me. It speaks, Dean Smith, and then I can hear it's words. It lives in Anna's house and it's… I doubt that it's kind. I fear for Anna's safety. You have to help—"

"What the hell?!" Dean yelled. "You're really freaking me out, dude!"

"No, I—"

"Look, do think that this is funny?" Dean cautioned, "I'm sorry, pal, but I'm gonna have to tell you to back off." Castiel tried to respond, but Dean interrupted him, "I've had enough of your shit!" With one last serious glare, he marched off Castiel's lawn and down onto the sidewalk. "Crazy guy…and here I thought—"

Suddenly, Dean stopped right in his tracks. As he had been crossing the street, he had looked back at Anna's house. The world froze a thousand times over. Standing in the window was a lean figure with long, white hair. A paled green dress adorned the figure's body. Her head hung to one side as if her skull wasn't quite screwed on right, and when she opened her jaw, Dean swore that he could feel her breath brush against the back of his neck. Dean quickly reached his hand up to grab his neck protectively; his mind hissed at him that any moment now she would spring from her position behind the glass and strangle him with her bony, skeleton hands. It felt as though she was in two different locations at once: in the windowsill and right behind him with fingers outspread ready to rip his brain from his skull the minute that she had the chance.

When Dean blinked and opened his eyes again, he saw the woman no longer standing there. Dean could feel his heart stop. His fears breathed in his eardrum and he swore that he could fall off the edge of the earth at any moment. Maybe he was going crazy, too? Was Castiel's insanity contagious? God, he hoped not….

Dean slowly turned his head to look back at Castiel's house. The door was sealed shut. The young man cleared his throat and straightened his back. He must look extremely pathetic, standing there in the middle of the asphalt with his jaw hung wide open. What he needed to do right now was run back to his house and hide as far as he could go in the sheets. No one could possibly hear him cry his eyes out there!

Yes, he'll go back to the coward's lair and never see another 'ghost' ever again. Ghost? Who was he kidding! There's no such thing as ghosts! It was all in his head! Yes, all in his head. Now, he was going to return to his house, have his barbecue, invite Anna on a date, go to Sam's wedding, and enjoy the rest of his peaceful life. Everything was going to be fine.


End file.
